Monday, June 29, 2009

I don't have a tile backsplash - just painted drywall. But if I did have a tile backsplash, and it was, say, boring white mosaic, and I wanted to spruce it up on the cheap, this looks pretty cool. Find the details here.

Friday, June 26, 2009

Last year for my sister's birthday I made over her bathroom. She left for work in the morning when she came home it was done. I'd done all the shopping days earlier, so I guess technically it took longer than a day. She already had blue and brown towels and she wanted to keep that as the color scheme. Her only other request was more storage. See the results below:

after

after

I added the wall cabinet and lacquered box, which made it possible to get pretty much all the clutter off the counter. I also bought a white patterned hand towel that matched the new Jonathon Adler shower curtain. The new wood bath mat wears so much better than her old fuzzy one. Now what do I get her for her next birthday...

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Last week Apartment Therapy posted about the Flickr group Bench Monday. Basically, every Monday group members post pics of someone standing on a bench. (Although from the pics I've seen the term "bench" seems to be used rather loosely.) What intrigued me about this particular photo is the wall in the background. Is that chalkboard paint? I've grown a little tired of the whole chalkboard wall trend, but this I like. This sort of thing is usually done in kitchens or dining rooms and ends up covered in grocery lists or dinner menus. Behind a sofa it becomes less utilitarian and more like a piece of art. And of course you'd be able to change it anytime you got bored.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

It was a beautiful summer day here today and I spent the afternoon at the wading pool with my best friend and her boys. It made me wish I could be a kid again. Summers were the best back then! When I was a kid, we used to go to the same place on vacation pretty much every year. Kingsley's Campground at Christina Lake, BC. It was awesome. (Sadly, Kingsley's is no longer.) We usually camped, but there was a sweet little cabin there that we rented a couple of times. Other years we had friends staying in it and still got to hang out there. The bathroom door had an old glass door knob that I thought was the coolest. The beds had white chenille bedspreads sort of like the one in the picture. Twenty years later, chenille bedspreads still make me think of that cabin. My summers at Kingsley's were some of the happiest times of my life.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

I know I've seen the Dandelion Graphic Dresser from Iannone Design before, but I wasn't familiar with their other designs until I spotted the Mod Lodge Sideboard today. I quite enjoy it. Maybe being Canadian makes me partial to anything with a moose on it. After checking out Iannone's website I discovered several other great pieces, too. The Block-O-Drawers and Cork Mosaic Sideboard being two of my favorites. And the fact they're all eco-friendly is never a bad thing. If you're in Canada you can also purchase several Iannone pieces here at Modern Karibou. (Actually, they will ship to foreign countries as well. But I'm sure there are lots of other sources if you feel so inclined.)

Monday, June 22, 2009

Yes, it's a little blurry - I took this pic through the window of a moving vehicle.

Eva of Otis & Frank just posted today about this website she came across - 100 Abandoned Houses. I find abandoned buildings so intriguing. I always wonder what they looked like before they were abandoned, the people who may have inhabited them, and how they came to be abandoned. This pic is of the Michel Hotel in Michel, British Columbia. Michel is an old coal mining town that has virtually become a ghost town. My dad actually lived there for a year when he was five (63 years ago) while my grandfather tried his hand at a coal mining. (I never had the chance to meet my grandfather - he passed away many years before I was born.) The hotel is right by the highway and I have driven past it many times. I can't help but wonder what that it used to be like and if my grandfather ever stopped in for a drink after a long day in the mines.

My friends Michelle and Garrett just got married on Saturday. They are one of the sweetest couples I know and their lovely wedding suited them perfectly. (I have no pics as I forgot my camera!) I was very flattered when they asked me a few months back if I would help with a couple of their decorating issues. One thing they needed was a "Just Married" sign for their car. I made this one from a piece of foam core and a long chain of fake flowers I attached with green floral wire. I am not a fan of fake flowers, but when I'm making a sign to hang from the back of a car for a day, I think an exception can be made.

They also needed a container of sorts for the gift table to hold cards. I had seen a card box at a shall-remain-nameless craft store that was shaped like a treasure chest and covered in cheap white satin. Um... no. A cute couple like Michelle and Garrett need something cuter than a cheesy treasure chest. I found a fabric-covered box at Ikea that was the perfect shade of green (their colors were forest, emerald and apple green). I cut an opening in the top and decorated as you see in the photo. They were really happy with it, which made me really happy! It also cost considerably less to make than it would have cost to buy the craptastic one at the craft store.

The photo album was a little something I surprised them with as part of their wedding gift. I bought a plain fabric-covered album at Michaels and decorated it in a similar way to the the card box. Weddings are a great excuse to indulge one's crafty side. I suspect I'll be indulging a lot when my sister starts planning her wedding. This was good practice.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Ilse Crawford is one of my favorite designers. I find her work to be thought-provoking and slightly unusual, but not in a pretentious or unapproachable way. Just in a totally brilliant way. You can see more of her projects at STUDIOILSE. I also highly recommend her book home is where the heart is? (The question mark is in the title, I`m not asking.)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

So remember when I was making plans for a trek to Ikea to pick up some stuff for my balcony? Well, by time I made it down there pretty much everything I wanted was sold out. (I should have known. The seasonal stuff always sells out quickly.) I really need an end table out there. I have no place to set my vodka cool...er... I mean, iced tea.

This Ikea end table is the smallest of three nesting tables I've had for a while. I'm using the larger two, but this one is really scratched and I didn't know what to do with it. The legs are powder-coated metal, so they should be fine outdoors. The top, on the other hand, is MDF. Not so good in the rain. I figured if I covered the top in water-resistant contact paper it would be fine. I removed the top first so I could easily cover all of it. Before the contact paper I put a couple layers of packing tape on the unfinished underside just to make sure it was sealed enough. Then I covered the entire top with a couple layers of white mactac. Reattached the top and... Ta Da! New outdoor side table for the price of a roll of contact paper! Man I love mactac. It's kind of becoming a problem...

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

One of the most exciting things about starting this blog is discovering that people are actually reading it! (I guess it would be a little pointless otherwise, huh?) I would just like you to know, dear readers, that I really appreciate it.And what a lovely surprise today when Eva over at otis & frank included me in her blog awards! Her blog is also one of my faves, so I was very flattered. In the spirit of the award, I am sharing the love. Here is my list of fifteen favorite blogs. (The order is only alphabetical - my love for you is different but equal!):

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog, together with the name of the person who has granted the award and link back.2) Then pass the award to 15 other blogs that you enjoy.3) Remember to contact the blogger to let them know about the award.

Monday, June 15, 2009

The city of Calgary has finally started a curbside recycling program. The annoying part is that multi-family buildings like our condo complex aren't included. We want to recycle too, dammit! So we're adding our stuff to our parents' blue bin. In between the drop-offs we're tossing the recyclables in these baskets under the sofa table. They hold a lot, have a washable lining, and tuck nicely out of the way.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

I picked up a copy of Canadian House & Home last week, and really liked this idea of framing a tea towel. The problem was, I didn't own any tea towels cool enough to warrant framing. Then my sister arrived home from London yesterday and gave me this tea towel from Tate Modern:

Sorry, I haven't ironed it yet. It's better in person.

How did she know? My sister and I have always had this crazy, almost psychic-like ability to pick gifts for each other. (No, we're not twins.) One Christmas we unknowingly bought each other the same sweater. Weeeird...

Friday, June 5, 2009

No, I'm not getting married. (Ha! If you know me you know that's not likely to happen any time soon.) My little sister is! She just got engaged this week. (Congrats Christie & Mark!) I am so excited for her and I can't wait to help her start planning. As her favorite (okay, her only) sister I will be Maid of Honor and I take my duties seriously! The only other wedding I ever helped plan was my best friend's, which was five years ago, so I'm a little out of the loop. I know there are a ton of wedding blogs out there for inspiration, so I'm going to have to start checking them out. Suggestions or recommendations anyone?

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

My friends over at The Splash Fantastic posted this about the Gummo studio in Amsterdam. They took some leftovers from the old office and a bunch of really ugly second-hand stuff and sprayed it all in the same grey paint. It's an environmentally friendly product called Polyurea Hotspray. Pretty brilliant solution, don't ya think? There's a little video explanation here.

About Me

Hi. I’m Tara Pallay. I’m an interior designer living and working in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. I love design and décor and started this blog as a way of sharing my passion with other design buffs. My other loves include: music, shoes, shopping, shopping for shoes, crafting, food (eating it but not cooking it), and my amazing friends and family. And shoes. Please Note: While the focus of this blog is design, I may, on occasion, stray to an unrelated topic. (But only if it’s something I desperately need to talk about in order to prevent my head from exploding.) I’ll try to keep it to a minimum. I promise.